Overhead door



March 14, 1939. w D FERRIS ET AL OVERHEAD DOOR 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1937 MIX/(422301] C'ec L' L J33.

March 14, 1939.

W. D. FERRIS ET AL OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Aug. 11, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES OVERHEAD DOOR William D. Ferris, Sterling, and Oecil'R. Wolf, Rock Falls, 11]., assignors to Frantz Manufacturing 00., linois Sterling, Ill.

, a corporation of Il- Application August 11, 1937, Serial No. 158,550

15 Claims.

This invention relates to garage doors, and more particularly to those that involve only a single rigid section, together with means whereby the latter is movable upwardly into a horizontal overhead position when the door is open.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel. and improved construction and arrangement whereby an overhead door of this type is movably mounted in a manner that obviates the necessity of using horizontal overhead tracks for supporting the door, and whereby certain other advantages are obtained, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general efliciency and desirability of an overhead garage door construction of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth I and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Fig. 1 is avertical section 'of a garage door construction embodying the principles of the invention. I 1

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the door partially open. I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal section on line 33 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fig. t is an enlarged inside or rear elevation of a portion of said door construction. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain portions of said construction.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a door comprising a single rigid section I, provided at its opposite side edges with studs 2, provided at their ends with wheels or rollers 3, that travel in the vertical tracks 4, arranged at the opposite sides of the doorway. The door is suspended on cords or flexible members 5 that are connected to said studs 2. and which extend upwardly and over sheaves 6, I and 8, and then downwardly 'to theweight 9 at one side of the ,doorway.

Each stud 2 has a link [0 extending downwardly therefrom, and the lower ends of these links are connected by pins I I with the lever arms l2, and the pins l i are provided with wheels or rollers I3 that travel in the vertical guides 4, previously mentioned. The lever arms 12 have their upper ends pivotally connected with the lever arms l4, and the latter have their upper ends pivoted on the stationary brackets I5 at the top of the doorway. Bracket plates l6 are provided on the back of the door, these plates each having a slot I"! for a pin I8 on the adjacent lever arm l4, so that each arm !4 has some lost motion connection with the door.

In use, to open the door, all that is necessary is to grasp a handle ii! on the outside of the door,

near its lower edge, and pull the door outwardly in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the weight 9 will then assist in raising the door into the horizontal position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The door can be opened from the inside by using the handle 20,

fastened to the back of the door. The door can be closed by pulling down on the depending rod. or

' caused to open and close in an easy and'satisfactory manner, and the predetermined movements thereof are rendered accurate and certain. In addition, it will be seen that no portion of the link and lever arm pivotal mounting is above the plane of the door when the latter is in its horizontal or open position. Again, the pull of the weight 9 is exerted not only at the points where the studs 2 are mounted on the door, but also through the lever arms l2 and M to the points where the brackets [6 are fastened to the door, so that the weight not only acts directly, but also indirectly through leverage on the door. It will be understood, of course, that. the said weight also acts to cushion the downward or closing movement of the door, the said weight being such that it is not quite heavy enough to, in itself, pull the door into the overhead or open position thereof. But the weight is such that it is easy to open and close the door by hand.

Thus with the construction shown and described, which is illustrative er the invention, the portion of the door above the axis 2 may tilt inwardly through the doorway, while said axis is rising, so that the top of the door extends a distance inside the building when in overhead open position, it being observed that the said axis about which the door tilts is fixed on the door itself, but is movable up and down in the vertical plane of the vertical tracks 4 provided at opposite sides of the doorway.

What. we claim as our invention is:

1. In a garage door construction, vertical guides at the opposite sides of the door, a single rigid section forming a movable door between said guides, and means for tilting and raising said door into an overhead open position, comprising vertical links having their upper and lower ends provided with means for engaging said guides, and door-supporting means pivoted on the lower end of each link.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, the doorsupporting means comprising arms having their upper ends pivotally connected with other arms that in turn have their upper ends pivoted at stationary points adjacent the top of the doorway, and movable means on which the lower ends of said first mentioned arms are pivoted.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, comprising pulling means, and flexible connections extending from said pulling means over sheaves and then down to the upper ends of said links.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, comprising a lost motion slot and pin connection between said door and the said door-supporting means. I

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said door being pivotally mounted to tilt on the upper ends of said links.

6. In a garage door, a single rigid section forming a movable door, vertical tracks at the opposite sides of the doorway, means on the door for engaging said tracks, providing in effect a horizontal axis about which the door may tilt, pulling means, flexible members leading from said pulling means, and connecting means including a leverage system for connecting said flexible members to the door, operative to support the door horizontally in an overhead open position, said pulling means being operative to assist in the opening movement of the door, and to in effect cushion the downward or closing movement thereof, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of said system.

7. In a garage door, a single rigid section forming a movable door, vertical tracks at the opposite sides of the doorway, means on the door for engaging said tracks, providing in efiect a horizontal axis about which the door may tilt, pulling means, flexible members leading from said pulling means, and connecting means including a leverage system for connecting said flexible members-to the door, operative to support the door horizontally in an overhead open position, said pulling means being operativeto assist in the opening movement of the door, and to in effect cushion the downward or closing movement thereof, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of said system, and the upper end of each arm being pivoted to the distal end of a lever arm also forming part of said system.

8. In a garage door, a single rigid section forming a movable door, vertical tracks at the opposite sides of the doorway, means on the door for engaging said tracks, providing in effect a horizontal axis about which the door may tilt, pulling means, flexible members leading from said pulling means, and connecting means including a leverage system for connecting said flexible members to the door, operative to support the door horizontally in an overhead open position, said pulling means being operative to assist in the opening movement of the door, and to in eiiect cushion the downward or closing movement thereof, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of said system, and the upper end or each arm being pivoted to the distal end or a lever am also forming part of said system, together with a lost motion slot and pin connection between each lever arm and the door.

9. In a garage door structure, a single rigid section forming a movable-door, vertical'tracks at the opposite sides of the doorway, extending practically to the top or the latter, means on the door for engaging said tracks, in both the open and closed position of the door, and during all movement of the latter, providing in efiect a horizontal efl'ect cushion the downward or closing movement thereof.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9, said door having a pivotal and sliding connection at its side edges with said leverage system.

11. A structure as specified in claim 9, said system comprising upper and lower links connected at their ends to in effect form a pair of toggles, with the door pivoted on the upper member of each toggle.

12. A structure as specified in claim 9, comprising vertical links connecting the said axis to the lower ends of said system.

13. A structure as specified in claim 9, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of saidsystem, said structure having three horizontal axes of motion adjacent the plane of said tracks, one of said axes being fixed, and two being movable up and down.

14. A structure as specified in claim 9, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of said system, and the upper endof each arm being pivoted to the distal end of a lever arm also forming part of said system, said structure having three horizontal axes of motion adjacent the plane of said tracks, one of said axes being fixed, and two being movable up and down.

15. A structure as specified in claim 9, said connecting means comprising vertical links provided at their upper ends with said means for engaging the tracks, and provided at their lower ends with additional means for engaging the tracks, the lower end of each link having pivoted thereon an arm forming part of said system, and the upper end of each arm being pivoted to the distal end of a lever arm also forming part of said system, together with a lost motion slot and pin connection between each lever arm and the door, said structure having three horizontal axes of motion adjacent the plane of said tracks, one of said axes being fixed, and two being movable up and down.

WILLIAM D. FERRIS. CECIL R. WOLF. 

